Shen Yujing was admiring the two hammers, one large and one small, in front of him with great satisfaction, finding them more appealing the longer he looked.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Quan Le's casual voice rang out, "Hey! Shen Yujing, what are you doing in here?"
Shen Yujing quickly closed the necklace in front of him and swiftly tucked it into the drawer. He then turned to Quan Le with a stern face, "What's the rush? Can't I take a break?"
"What's there to rest for? You were up all night gaming, and you've only been awake for a few hours. How can you need another break?" Quan Le walked in while speaking, then froze when he saw the hammers on the desk, blurting out a curse, "Holy shit! What the hell is that? Scared me to death!"
Shen Yujing: "..."
What kind of reaction was that? These hammers looked quite nice, what was so scary about them? No taste!
Quan Le held a fruit plate in one hand while picking up the hammer with the other, "This is quite heavy. Who's trying to murder you? There are so many people who can't stand you. After my investigation, there are currently 1,875 suspects. Where would you like me to start?"
Shen Yujing snatched the hammer back from Quan Le's hand and rolled his eyes at him in exasperation, "I'd like you to shut up."
Quan Le was just joking anyway, and while eating fruit, he said, "Everyone's waiting downstairs. Aren't you coming?"
"Yes, of course I'm coming." Shen Yujing placed the hammer in the corner of his desk, deliberately covering it with a bag before heading out.
Fortunately, Quan Le didn't show much interest in the hammer and simply followed Shen Yujing.
At this moment, the main hall of the Shen Family mansion was already filled with guests.
As soon as Shen Yujing, the protagonist, made his appearance, people immediately surrounded him, engaging in enthusiastic conversation.
Shen Yujing's brows were furrowed so tightly they could trap a fly, his impatience clearly written on his face.
But even so, these people wouldn't take the hint and leave.
It was annoying, really annoying.
He hated these bothersome and pointless social interactions the most.
He had specifically said he only wanted to invite a few friends, but his father had still taken it upon himself to send out numerous invitations to so-called "important figures."
His birthday party had become nothing more than a bargaining chip, a ticket into high society.
It was supposed to be his birthday, a day for his happiness, but everyone except him seemed to be having a good time.
What's more ridiculous was that his father had gone abroad with his wife for business negotiations, showing that no one really cared about their son's birthday.
The balding middle-aged man in front of him was speaking to Shen Yujing with a fawning smile, while Shen Yujing's gaze had long since wandered elsewhere in boredom.
He saw Jiang Yiheng in his white suit, smiling with cultured elegance, though it seemed utterly fake.
And Murong Huan was standing at a calculated distance from Jiang Yiheng, her eyes seemingly glued to him.
If Murong Huan was here, where was Song Yi?
Once this thought occurred to him, Shen Yujing's eyes swept across the entire hall without any attempt to hide his searching gaze.
She wasn't there.
Shen Yujing suddenly felt disappointed, and more than that, worried.
Why wasn't Song Yi here? Could it be that... she had already left?
While Shen Yujing was anxiously lost in these thoughts, Song Yi was actually in the Shen Family's back garden.
Most guests were in the main hall, each holding a glass of red wine, looking noble and elegant.
But Song Yi was different; she just wanted to eat, so she had discovered this perfect spot in the garden.
All the tables were laden with food - desserts, cakes, drinks, and lots of fruits and candies.
There weren't many people here, just a few children playing around. These treats were probably prepared for them.
So Song Yi found the farthest table and began eating with her head down.
The cake was soft and tender, the fruit fresh - one taste was enough to know they were expensive.
There were many delicious things, but Song Yi's stomach had its limits, and it was quickly becoming full.
If only this formal dress had pockets, Song Yi would have loved to pack some to take home.
Suddenly, a childish voice rang out, "Hey, what's your name?"
Song Yi: "?"
What kind of bossy greeting was that?
Feeling a tug on her dress, Song Yi swallowed her cake and slowly turned around.
A little boy about six or seven years old stood behind her. With his slightly curly chestnut hair and handsome features that hadn't fully developed yet, he was clearly mixed-race. Wearing overalls and carrying a small backpack, he looked absolutely adorable.
"Pfft—"
Song Yi couldn't help but laugh, reaching out to pinch the little boy's cheeks, "Aren't you just the cutest little thing?"
"Don't touch me! I asked you a question, answer me!" The little boy pushed away Song Yi's hand, his face puffing up like a steamed bun, clearly dissatisfied with her casual attitude.
Song Yi bent down and offered him a piece of cake, "Little one, you shouldn't be so impolite. When someone compliments you for being cute, you should say thank you."
This time, the little boy knocked the cake out of Song Yi's hand and lifted his chin even higher, "Don't call me little one, I'm already in third grade!"
Song Yi's smile faded.
Wasting food, especially such delicious food, was such a detestable act.
So she asked, "Well, what do you want from me?"
"I'm allowing you to play games with me," the little boy commanded, still maintaining his arrogant expression.
Looking at the other children playing happily together not far away, Song Yi directly pointed out the truth, "They won't let you play with them, will they?"
The little boy's face showed embarrassment, quickly turning to angry shame, "I'm the one who doesn't want to play with them!"
Song Yi continued eating strawberries while saying, "Your personality is terrible. Like them, I don't want to play with you either."
Little boy: "Don't make things up! I told you, I'm the one who doesn't want to play with them!"
Song Yi eating cake: "I think you're quite pitiful."
Little boy: "You're the pitiful one! I just don't like them! I don't want to play with them!"
Song Yi eating grapes: "Are you a broken record? Can you only say that one line? Are you bad at studying too?"
The little boy froze, then blinked his eyes, and in the next second, they welled up with tears.
Song Yi: "???"
Do spoiled kids cry this easily? Was psychological attack super effective?
The next second, the little boy opened his mouth—
"Waaah! I... I passed my start-of-term exams!"
Song Yi: "?"
In third grade, getting full marks shouldn't be that difficult, right? Setting the bar at just passing, and from his words, his grades were even worse now than at the start of term - just how bad could they be?
Had she accidentally hit a nerve and wounded the child's fragile self-esteem?
Song Yi had been prepared to deal with a spoiled child, but seeing him cry so miserably suddenly made her feel a bit guilty.
So she sighed and conceded, "Stop crying, I'll play games with you—"
"Please teach me how to study!"
Song Yi: "?"
No, wait.
What kind of direction was this taking? Was he really this eager to learn???
So when Shen Yujing, after learning of Song Yi's whereabouts from Murong Huan, came to the garden, this was the scene he encountered—
Several elementary school workbooks were spread across the table, and his notoriously difficult little cousin was sitting there properly, seriously solving problems with a pencil.
Next to his cousin, Song Yi wore an apricot-colored formal dress that made her look particularly gentle. Her black hair fell to her shoulders, and her fair skin and beautiful collarbones in the sunlight made Shen Yujing momentarily dazed at first glance.
Song Yi was looking down at his little cousin's work, and at this moment, her pink lips had lost most of their lipstick from eating fruit, but she didn't seem to care. She held half a peach in one hand, eating while leaning down to explain problems to his little cousin.
Then, Shen Yujing watched as Song Yi's beautiful hand smacked his little cousin's head hard, saying in exasperation, "You actually know how to do this! Why do you keep making calculation mistakes during exams?"
Shen Yujing: "..."
Indeed, life's greatest illusion was thinking Song Yi was gentle.
Perhaps because Shen Yujing's gaze was too complex, Song Yi noticed his stare and looked up.
Being caught staring was truly embarrassing. Shen Yujing wanted to turn away and pretend he hadn't noticed, but Song Yi suddenly waved at him.
Shen Yujing froze for a moment, pointing at himself as if seeking confirmation.
Song Yi nodded and called out, "Come here quickly!"
Shen Yujing thought he had it figured out.
So, Song Yi couldn't hide her feelings anymore, could she?
Not only had she gotten an invitation to his birthday party from Murong Huan, but she had also bought a hammer as a token of love just like him, and was even trying to get close to his cousin. Now what could she want from him?
Shen Yujing was already starting to worry. If Song Yi confessed to him directly, how should he respond?
He had never dated before, but if he rejected Song Yi outright, would she cry... no, would she hit him?
Indeed, being liked by someone was such a troublesome thing.
So Shen Yujing shuffled slowly to Song Yi's side and asked casually, "What is it?"
Song Yi looked at him, seeming somewhat hesitant, "I have a question I want to ask you."
Shen Yujing desperately tried to suppress his rising smile and responded coolly, "Go ahead."
Song Yi: "How are your math grades—"
Shen Yujing: "I'm not ready for a relationship right now!"
